“I’ve Been in a Fight”

My friend Stacy has been in a fight. She went to a boxing class on a whim, and was pretty bad at boxing at first, but she liked it. A few months later she fought in a sanctioned boxing match, she kinda liked that too.

“Dangerous Gifts”

Approximately 13 million people in the United States are diagnosed with a serious mental illness, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and severe depression. Abilify, an antipsychotic medication, is the top selling drug in the United States. Most people believe that those diagnosed with a mental illness have a chemical imbalance that must be treated with medication if they are to ever live a normal life, but there is a growing subset of the population that doesn’t believe that things are that simple. This movement believes that symptoms, even severe symptoms like psychosis and suicidal thoughts, can be managed with little or no medication. Some even view their symptoms as dangerous gifts that make them more in tune with what it is to be human. I talked to one such person, a young mother and college student, about her choice to navigate her madness without medication.

“My Mother’s Other Daughter”

In 1973, my mother gave her first daughter up for adoption. Twenty-eight years later, my half-sister, Erin, contacted my mom. My mom and I drove to San Francisco to meet Erin in a dimly lit sushi restaurant. I hope to speak with Erin about her choice to contact my mom and the implications of her decision, focusing on the days, hours, and minutes leading up to that first meeting.

“Finding Victor”

My mother found out who her father was on her 70th birthday. (Music: “Le fils des etoiles: Prelude du 2e acte: L’Initation” performed by Patrick Cohen from his Satie, E.: Pieces Froides / Gnossiennes / Gymnopedies.)